In the water recreation industry (waterparks, resorts, municipal pools and aquatic centers), there are numerous water associated attractions, including waterslides, white water rapids, and flume boat rides, that utilize water to transport participants along a predetermined path. Many of these rides, however, are gravity induced, i.e., they begin at high elevation and end at low elevation. The disadvantage of gravity induced rides is that the necessary elevated topography is costly to construct (especially on flat ground). Participants must also move from a low elevation point to a high elevation point to enter the ride. Another disadvantage is that gravity induced rides are generally limited to a relatively short ride participation time. An average commercial water slide, for example, has a ride duration of approximately 30 seconds. It is desirable, therefore, to develop a water ride that can function with minimal change in topography, at a minimal capital cost and for an extended ride duration.
One ride attraction commonly found in water theme parks that overcomes these disadvantages is the "lazy river." The lazy river is a pool of water fashioned in a circuitous loop around a central island(s). A central feature of the lazy river is the containment pool. The containment pool is relatively deep (approximately one meter) and contains a substantial mass of water. As a driving mechanism, the lazy river uses a system of ducts positioned below water level to discharge a stream of water through nozzles located on either the floor or side walls of the river. Momentum transfer between the discharge water and the pooled water causes the entire body of pooled water to flow in river-like fashion and in turn transport participants floating on the river's surface. Because the lazy river is circuitous, a participant can ride in the lazy river for an extended period.
While the lazy river can be built on level ground and has extended user participation time, one disadvantage of the lazy river is that it is relatively slow moving and does not provide the high-speed thrills of other gravity induced rides. To overcome this disadvantage, a combination of high speed water rides and slow-moving, circuitous river loops was disclosed in an "action river" as described more fully in application Ser. No. 08/065,467, which is incorporated herein by reference. The action river is distinguishable from the lazy river in that it is connected to one or more adjacent water rides, such as a Flow Rider.TM., which empowers the circuitous flow of water in the river. In the action river, participants can exit a fast-moving water ride, e.g., Flow Rider.TM., directly into a slow moving circuitous river and can ride in the river while waiting to enter directly into another adjacent water ride.
Another such adjacent water ride contemplated for use with the action river is a class of water attraction rides recently introduced to the theme park market as the Master Blaster.TM., such as the kind described more fully in U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,547, which is incorporated herein by reference. This attraction injects a high velocity water flow onto a ride surface to cause a rider (or vehicle) to move along the ride surface at high speeds by direct water-to-rider momentum transfer. The Master Blaster.TM. can be interconnected to the action river so that a participant may ride or float in the action river and enter directly into the Master Blaster.TM. without having to exit the river. The Master Blaster.TM. also can be interconnected to the action river so that a participant can exit directly back into the action river.
A problem not fully addressed in the "action river" combination water ride system is how a participant makes the transition or exit from a "deep," relatively slow-moving mass of water, such as that found in the "action river," to enter directly onto an adjacent "shallow," fast moving water ride such as the Master Blaster.TM.. The present invention overcomes this problem and relates to a transition apparatus, which can be used to move participants from a deep-water environment to a shallow-water environment, and vice versa, and which can be used as a water ride on its own.